Lending Appeals

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting Scottish business, we’re working with the British Bankers' Association to find ways that the industry can improve customer relationships. Under this initiative you have the right to appeal if your application for borrowing is declined or if you are unhappy with lending conditions.

You can appeal following any formally declined lending decision. An application is considered formal when all relevant information that enables a decision to be reached has been provided to us in line with our Finance application checklist.

You can also appeal any of the conditions relating to your requested lending, but not the proposed costs of agreed lending such as interest rates, fees and costs or our standard terms and conditions. If you submit an appeal relating to lending condition(s), this could delay how long it takes for us to put your new lending facility in place, although we aim to deal with 90 per cent of all appeals within 30 days of receipt.

Requesting an appeal does not guarantee that a decline decision will be overturned.

You or your intermediary has 30 calendar days from the date of the declined letter to appeal our decision. We keep to a 30-day maximum because the information you provided at the time of your original application can become outdated. After 30 days, we suggest you talk to our business management team about a new application.

If you wish to appeal any of the conditions relating to your requested lending, this should be done before you sign the lending documentation. Appeals cannot be submitted if they relate to specific lending conditions after you draw down on the lending facility.

If your lending application has been accepted but you do not like the price of the offer, this needs to be discussed with our business management team. If you are still unhappy with the way we have dealt with your enquiry, you have the right to pursue a formal complaint. Find out more about our complaints procedure.

If your lending application has been accepted but you do not like the price of the offer, this needs to be discussed with our business management team. If you are still unhappy with the way we have dealt with your enquiry, you have the right to pursue a formal complaint. Find out more about our complaints procedure.

If the reason for the decline is specifically due to an adverse credit history such as County Court Judgements (CCJ's) or payment defaults, then your application can be appealed. However, you may need to obtain a full copy of your credit file from a Credit Reference Agency, and be able to prove that an error has occurred or that the circumstances of the adverse information were exceptional. Credit Reference Agencies hold information that helps lenders establish individuals' credit record. You are legally entitled to see all the information held about you by any Credit Reference Agency by writing to them at Experian Limited, Consumer Help Service, PO Box 8000, Nottingham, NG80 7WF. Details of fees can be found on www.experian.co.uk or by calling 0344 481 0800.

If your circumstances have changed significantly since the time of the original application and you would like to re-apply, we would be happy to consider a new application.

You can appeal if you feel that we’ve not taken into account all of your circumstances or that, following a discussion with our business management team, your application should have been approved. However, it may be necessary to contact you to clarify any queries that may arise from the review or to ask for additional information. If your circumstances have changed significantly since the time of the original application and you would like to re-apply on that basis, we’d be happy to consider a new application.

We would not automatically review lending decisions. Our business management team often work with credit specialists, to ensure they have correctly assessed applications. More complex lending requests are often reviewed by more than one credit specialist to ensure that your application has been fully considered.

An appeal can only be made after a decline decision, following a formal application (see Under what circumstances can I appeal?). Our business management team are highly skilled in assessing whether we have the right financial products to help you. They can work with you on future lending applications and if necessary, talk to you about alternative sources of finance and other support.

We'll send you a letter confirming we've received your appeal. The target agreed by the industry is to ensure customers' appeals are reviewed and that they are informed of the outcome within 30 calendar days of the date of this letter. However, we commit to resolve 90 per cent of appeals within 15 working days.

We will write to you confirming the outcome of the appeal. If your circumstances have changed significantly since the time of the original application and you would like to re-apply, we would be happy to consider a new application.

If this is not the case, we’ll be happy to talk to you about how we can work together to present a stronger lending proposition in the future. We’re dedicated to helping UK businesses thrive throughout the economic cycle. Therefore, we want to ensure you have the support you need to make your business stronger.

The role of the Independent External Reviewer is to provide an independent assessment of the appeals process. The Reviewer is not in a position to review individual lending decisions or accept appeals directly from customers in the event of a complaint. Their role is to ensure banks have the correct processes to handle appeals fairly and effectively themselves. They will publish an annual report detailing how banks are performing.

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Bank of Scotland plc Registered Office: The Mound, Edinburgh EH1 1YZ. Registered in Scotland no. SC327000. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under Registration Number 169628.

Eligible deposits with us are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). We are covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Please note that due to FSCS and FOS eligibility criteria not all business customers will be covered.

The Lloyds Banking Group includes companies using brands including Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland and their associated companies. More information on the Lloyds Banking Group can be found at lloydsbankinggroup.com.